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Alfred Reed

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For the New Zealand writer and publisher, see Alfred Hamish Reed. For the American folk, country, and old-time musician, see Blind Alfred Reed.
Alfred Reed
Background information
Born(1921-01-25)January 25, 1921
New York City, New York
DiedSeptember 17, 2005(2005-09-17) (aged 84)
Miami, Florida
GenresClassical
OccupationComposer

Alfred Reed (January 25, 1921 – September 17, 2005) was an American neoclassical composer, with more than two hundred published works for concert band, orchestra, chorus, and chamber ensemble to his name. He also traveled extensively as a guest conductor, performing in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

Life

Reed was born in New York and began his formal music training at the age of ten. During World War II, he served in the 529th Army Air Force Band. Following his military service, he attended the Juilliard School of Music, studying under Vittorio Giannini, after which he was staff composer and arranger first for NBC, then for ABC. In 1953, he became the conductor of the Baylor Symphony Orchestra at Baylor University, where he received his B.M. in 1955 and his M.M. in 1956. His master's thesis, Rhapsody for Viola and Orchestra, was awarded the Luria Prize in 1959. He was a member of the Beta Tau Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music.

From 1955 to 1966, he was the executive editor of Hansen Publications, a music publisher. He was professor of music at the University of Miami where he worked with composer Clifton Williams from 1966 until the latter's death in 1976. Williams' office was across the hall from Reed's office in the UM School of Music, and Reed was chairman of the department of Music Media and Industry and director of the Music Industry Program at the time of his retirement. He established the very first college-level music business curriculum at the University of Miami in 1966, which led other colleges and universities to follow suit. At the time of his death, he had composition commissions that would have taken him to the age of 115. Many of Reed's wind band compositions have been released as CD recordings by the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra.

Works and Arrangements

Works for Orchestra

  • 1962 Greensleeves - "What Child is This?"
  • American Sketches - No. 1 "Strings 'n Things"
  • American Sketches - No. 2 "Fashion Show"
  • American Sketches - No. 3 "Country Night"
  • American Sketches - No. 4 "By the Lagoon"
  • American Sketches - No. 5 "The Mechanical Doll"
  • Serenade
  • Suite Concertante for strings and harp

Works for Concert Band

  • 1944 Russian Christmas Music
    1. Carol of the Little Russian Children
    2. Antiphonal Chant
    3. Village Song
    4. Cathedral Chorus
  • 1955 Lumberjack Overture
  • 1956 Ballade for Solo Eb Alto Saxophone & Band
  • 1958 Might and Majesty, a Biblical Suite
  • 1959 Music Man
    1. The Wells Fargo Wagon
    2. Till There Was You
    3. Seventy-Six Trombones
  • 1962 A Festival Prelude
  • 1962 A Sacred Suite
  • 1962 rev. 1986 Greensleeves Fantasy for Concert Band
  • 1963 A Festive Overture
  • 1966 Rahoon for Solo Clarinet and Band
  • 1967 The Music-Makers
  • 1967 Passacaglia
  • 1968 Intrada Drammatica
  • 1968 Wapawekka - White Sands
  • 1970 A Jubilant Overture
  • 1970 The Pledge of Allegiance for Concert Band
  • 1971 A Ceremonial Fanfare
  • 1972 A Northern Legend
  • 1972 Armenian Dances Part 1, inspired by a collection of Folk Songs collected by Komitas Vardapet (1869–1935)
    1. Tzirani Tzar - The Apricot Tree
    2. Gakavi Yerk - The Partridge's Song
    3. Hoy, Nazan Eem - Hoy, My Nazan
    4. Alagyaz
    5. Gna, Gna - Go, Go!
  • 1972 Imperatrix
  • 1972 In Memoriam, an Elegy for the Fallen
  • 1973 Punchinello, Overture
  • 1973 Alleluia! Laudamus Te
  • 1976 First Suite for Band
    1. March
    2. Melody
    3. Rag
    4. Gallop
  • 1977 Armenian Dances Part 2
    1. Hov Arek
    2. Khoomar
    3. Lorva Horovel
  • 1977 Othello A Symphonic Portrait for Symphonic Band in Five Scenes (after William Shakespeare)
    1. Prelude (Venice) - The tyrant custom hath made the flinty and steel couch of war my thrice-driven bed.
    2. Aubade (Cyprus) - Good Morning, General
    3. Othello and Desdemona - She loved me for the dangers I had passed, and I loved her that she did pity them.
    4. Entrance of the Court - Behold, the Lion of Venice!
    5. The Death of Desdemona; Epilogue - I kissed thee ere I killed thee: no way but this….
  • 1978 Prelude and Capriccio
  • 1978 Second Suite for Band (Latino Mexicana)
    1. Son Montuno
    2. Tango ("Sargasso Serenade")
    3. Guaracha
    4. Paso Double ("A la Corrida!")
  • 1979 Second Symphony for Band
    1. Lento (ma ritmico)
    2. Allegro con fuoco
    3. Molto moderato e sostenuto
  • 1980 A Christmas Intrada - Commissioned by the Middle Tennessee State University Band; Premiered October 1981 by "The President's Own" United States Marine Band at the 20th Annual Contest of Champions at Middle Tennessee State University.
  • 1981 Acalarado for Marching Band
  • 1981 The Hounds of Spring, A Concert Overture
  • 1981 Rushmore
  • 1982 Queenston Overture
  • 1982 The Garden of Proserpine Symphonic Pastorale
  • 1982 Viva Musica
  • 1983 Three Revelations from the Lotus Sutra
    1. To Awaken in the Light of the Universe
    2. To Contemplate the Depths of the Soul
    3. To Rejoice in the Beauty of Peace
  • 1984 Pro Texana Concert-March
  • 1985 El Camino Real
  • 1985 Ramparts of Courage
  • 1986 Second Century
  • 1988 Praise Jerusalem!
  • 1988 Third Symphony for Band
    1. Pesante e molto sostenuto Allegro agitado
    2. Variations on the "Porazzi" Theme of Wagner
    3. Allegro deciso
  • 1990 Mr. Music
  • 1991 A Springtime Celebration
  • 1992 Fourth Symphony for Band
    1. Elegy
    2. Intermezzo
    3. Tarantella
  • 1992 Hymn Variants
  • 1992–1993 Fourth Suite for Band - City of Music
    1. Intrada
    2. Arie
    3. Marsch
  • 1993 Concertino for Marimba and Winds
  • 1993 Greensleeves (arr.)
  • 1994 Fifth Symphony for Band
    1. Moderately and sustained
    2. Sakura (Cherry Blossoms)
    3. Allegro molto, con fuoco
  • 1995 Fifth Suite for Band (International Dances)
    1. Hoe Down (America)
    2. Sarabande (France)
    3. Yamabushi Kagura (Japan)
    4. Hora (Israel and Rumania)
  • 1995 The King of Love My Shepherd Is
  • 1997 Sixth Suite for Band
    1. March Miniature
    2. Summer Stroll
    3. Halloween Hobgoblin
    4. Awa Odori (Japanese Dance)
  • 1998 Prism
  • 1999 Millennium III Concert Overture
  • 2000 Children's Suite for Solo Alto-Saxophone and Band or Wind Ensemble
    1. Kiyoko's Lullaby
    2. Kiyoko's Playtime
  • 2000 Giligia (A Song of Remembrance)
  • 2002 Exhortation and Praise
  • 2003 Seventh Suite for Band A Century of Flight - composed as cerebration for opening of Noto Airport in Wajima, Ishikawa, Japan and for centennial anniversary of Wright brothers' world's first flying by airplane
    1. prologue: Look to the Skies!
    2. Intermezzo: The Winds and Waves of Wajima
    3. March: To Fly With the Wings of Eagles
  • 2004 Ebo Signation
  • A Christmas Celebration
    1. Angels We Have Heard On High
    2. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
    3. A O Comell Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)
    4. Silent Night
  • A little Concert-Suite
    1. Intrada
    2. Siciliana
    3. Scherzo
    4. Gigue
  • Acclamation! A Global Greeting for Winds'
  • Canto E Camdombe
  • Choral Prelude In E Minor
  • Concertino for Marimbaphon and Winds
    1. Nocturne
    2. Scherzetto
    3. Toccata
  • Concerto for Trumpet and Winds
  • Curtain Up! (A Theater Overture for Winds)
  • Danza Caribe
  • Evolutions
  • East And West - The Kohoku New Town March
  • Golden Jubilee
  • Highlights from Exodus (arr.)
  • Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (arr.)
  • Jidai - Year Of Years!
  • Millennium
  • Music in the Air!
  • O Little Town based on "O Little Town of Bethlehem" - for Choral Ensemble and Concert Band
  • O Most Wonderful for Choral Ensemble and Concert Band
  • Ode for Trumpet for Trumpet and Band
  • Poetry and Power
  • Rosalind in the Forest of Arden
  • Seascape for Euphonium solo and Band
  • Serenade
  • Serenade for Clarinet and Band
  • Siciliana Notturno for Alto-Saxophone and Concert Band
  • Silver Shadow (Concert March)
  • Slavonic Folk Suite for SATB Chorus (optional) and Band
    1. Children's Carol
    2. Cathedral Chorus
  • Sleepers, Awake! (arr.)
  • Symphonic Prelude
  • The Big East March
  • The Crowning Glory
  • The Enchanted Island
  • The Golden Years
  • Third Suite for Band (Scenes De Ballet)
    1. Fanfare and Intrada
    2. Pas de deux
    3. Polka excentrique
    4. Danse generale
  • Twelfth Night A Musical Masque after William Shakespeare
    1. Prelude: Illyria
    2. Viola and Orsino
    3. The Merry Conspirators
    4. Malvolio's Lament in “Prison”
    5. V A Double Wedding, and All's Well!
  • Two Bagatelles
  • Victory! (Concert March for Winds)
  • With Trumpets and Drums for drums, trumpet, voice, and band

Works for Choir and Orchestra

  • All Hall to the Days, Christian Madrigal for harp, piano or guitar in score, strings, mixed choir
  • The Pledge of Allegiance for mixed choir and orchestra

Chamber Music

  • 1954 Organ Meditations for solo organ
  • 1983 Two Bagatelles for trombone quartet
  • Double Wind Quintet
  • Havana Moon for Clarinet Choir (3 bb, Alto, Bass, CBass), Percussion, Strings Bass
  • Pastorale for Clarinet and Piano
  • Scherzo Fantastique for Bass, Contrabass Clarinet, Contrabass, Piano, Woodwinds
  • Siciliana Notturno for Solo Alto-Saxophone, Piano, Saxophone, Voice, Woodwinds
  • Trilogue, Scherzo for Double Bass, Vibraphone, Marimba
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